Open Source Publishing: OpenMind

article that presents OpenMind, a company that is using the open source model originated by software developers to the textbook publishing business.
Paul Elliot, founder of the company, which incorporated in April, told dbusiness.com, \"We\'re proposing to bring textbook content to the academic community in an open-source environment.\"

He explained that the company will give academic professors who author the texts a modest grant. The books will be peer reviewed and teachers will customize them for their own use, making any improvements available to everyone. The texts will be available in whatever form the user wants them, printed, on the Web, or for download to readers, Elliot said.

The company plans to make money selling customized teaching aids to professors and learning aids to students for fees as low as $15 to $20, compared with the $60 average textbook price today. One of the chief benefits to professors using the texts is that they can add their personal material to the texts.

Electronic texts on the Web offer many other advantages, such as the ability to annotate, search, bookmark, link to definitions, employ audio and animated explanations, and otherwise enrich the text experience.

\"I was in the student union at the University of Central Florida talking with students complaining they\'re paying more for textbooks than for tuition. Something is wrong with that situation.\"